Technical Market Report for January 26, 2013

The good news is:
• Most of the major indices closed at or very near multi year highs again
last Friday.

The negatives

The market has been up for 4 consecutive weeks so it is a little overbought.
New highs have been robust, the secondaries have been strong, breadth has
been good by every measure and even volume has been picking up. Negatives
are hard to find.

The positives

All of the major indices, except the NASDAQ composite (OTC) closed at or near
multi year highs on Friday while the mid and small cap indices closed at all
time highs.

The chart below covers the past 6 months showing the OTC in blue and a 40%
trend (4 day EMA) of NASDAQ new highs / (new highs + new lows) (OTC HL Ratio)
in red. Dashed vertical lines have been drawn on the 1st trading day of each
month and dashed horizontal lines have been drawn at 10% levels for the indicator;
the line is solid at the neutral 50% level.

OTC HL Ratio finished the week at 95%, its highest level since early 2010.
There are trading systems that impose a no sell filter when variations of
this indicator are above 80%.

The chart below is similar to the one above except it shows the S&P 500
(SPX) in red and NY HL Ratio, in blue, has been calculated from NYSE data.

NY HL Ratio finished the week at an extremely strong 97%.

Seasonality

Next week includes the last 4 trading days of January and the 1st trading
day of February during the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle.

The tables below show the daily return on a percentage basis for the last
4 trading days of January and the 1st trading day of February during the 1st
year of the Presidential Cycle.

OTC data covers the period from 1963 - 2012 and SPX data covers the period
from 1928 - 2012. There are summaries for both the 1st year of the Presidential
Cycle and all years combined.

Average returns have been positive by all measures.

Last 4 days of January and first day of February.
The number following the year represents its position in the Presidential
Cycle.
The number following the daily return represents the day of the week;
1 = Monday, 2 = Tuesday etc.

OTC Presidential Year 1

Day4

Day3

Day2

Day1

Day1

Totals

1965-1

0.39% 2

0.62% 3

0.75% 4

0.36% 5

0.23% 1

2.35%

1969-1

-0.14% 2

0.09% 3

0.22% 4

0.39% 5

0.67% 1

1.23%

1973-1

-0.56% 5

0.00% 1

-1.00% 2

-0.19% 3

0.14% 4

-1.61%

1977-1

-0.57% 3

-0.49% 4

-0.33% 5

-0.19% 1

0.80% 2

-0.78%

1981-1

1.05% 2

-0.41% 3

0.26% 4

-0.04% 5

-2.39% 1

-1.53%

1985-1

0.38% 1

0.41% 2

0.87% 3

0.04% 4

-0.10% 5

1.61%

1989-1

0.78% 4

0.22% 5

0.32% 1

0.52% 2

0.48% 3

2.31%

Avg

0.21%

-0.05%

0.02%

0.03%

-0.21%

0.00%

1993-1

0.03% 2

-1.31% 3

-0.46% 4

0.24% 5

0.78% 1

-0.72%

1997-1

0.12% 2

0.06% 3

1.17% 4

0.65% 5

-0.28% 1

1.72%

2001-1

0.98% 5

2.05% 1

0.00% 2

-2.31% 3

0.36% 4

1.08%

2005-1

1.29% 3

0.05% 4

-0.55% 5

1.31% 1

0.30% 2

2.40%

2009-1

1.04% 2

3.55% 3

-3.24% 4

-2.08% 5

1.22% 1

0.48%

Avg

0.69%

0.88%

-0.62%

-0.44%

0.48%

0.99%

OTC summary for Presidential Year 1 1965 - 2009

Averages

0.40%

0.40%

-0.17%

-0.11%

0.19%

0.71%

% Winners

75%

67%

58%

58%

75%

67%

MDD 1/30/2009 5.26% -- 2/2/1981 2.57% -- 1/31/2001 2.31%

OTC summary for all years 1963 - 2012

Averages

0.20%

0.16%

-0.06%

0.25%

0.29%

0.82%

% Winners

60%

63%

56%

66%

69%

64%

MDD 1/28/2000 6.73% -- 2/2/1970 6.34% -- 1/30/2009 5.26%

SPX Presidential Year 1

Day4

Day3

Day2

Day1

Day1

Totals

1929-1

-0.31% 1

0.04% 2

0.35% 3

1.14% 4

0.39% 5

1.61%

1933-1

-0.14% 5

-1.14% 6

0.29% 1

-0.57% 2

-3.89% 3

-5.45%

1937-1

0.80% 3

-0.11% 4

0.79% 5

0.34% 6

0.28% 1

2.10%

1941-1

-0.57% 2

-2.01% 3

-1.76% 4

0.30% 5

-0.70% 6

-4.74%

1945-1

0.45% 6

0.15% 1

-0.59% 2

0.07% 3

0.22% 4

0.30%

1949-1

-0.26% 4

-0.33% 5

0.20% 6

-0.07% 1

0.79% 2

0.33%

Avg

0.05%

-0.69%

-0.21%

0.01%

-0.66%

-1.49%

1953-1

0.12% 2

0.31% 3

0.27% 4

0.69% 5

0.49% 1

1.87%

1957-1

-0.74% 1

0.49% 2

0.45% 3

-0.42% 4

-0.22% 5

-0.44%

1961-1

0.15% 4

1.02% 5

1.19% 1

-0.31% 2

0.19% 3

2.25%

1965-1

0.09% 2

0.33% 3

0.29% 4

0.09% 5

0.02% 1

0.83%

1969-1

0.01% 2

0.10% 3

0.04% 4

0.45% 5

-0.12% 1

0.48%

Avg

-0.07%

0.45%

0.45%

0.10%

0.07%

1.00%

1973-1

-0.24% 5

-0.38% 1

-0.16% 2

0.17% 3

-1.09% 4

-1.69%

1977-1

-0.77% 3

-0.54% 4

0.14% 5

0.10% 1

0.50% 2

-0.57%

1981-1

0.99% 2

-0.59% 3

-0.08% 4

-0.53% 5

-2.04% 1

-2.25%

1985-1

0.03% 1

-0.03% 2

1.15% 3

0.13% 4

-0.56% 5

0.73%

1989-1

0.88% 4

0.73% 5

0.40% 1

0.84% 2

-0.13% 3

2.72%

Avg

0.18%

-0.16%

0.29%

0.14%

-0.66%

-0.21%

1993-1

-0.01% 2

-0.42% 3

0.13% 4

0.03% 5

0.85% 1

0.57%

1997-1

0.00% 2

0.98% 3

1.51% 4

0.25% 5

0.07% 1

2.81%

2001-1

-0.19% 5

0.68% 1

0.70% 2

-0.56% 3

0.55% 4

1.18%

2005-1

0.48% 3

0.04% 4

-0.27% 5

0.85% 1

0.69% 2

1.79%

2009-1

1.09% 2

3.36% 3

-3.31% 4

-2.28% 5

-0.05% 1

-1.20%

Avg

0.27%

0.93%

-0.25%

-0.34%

0.42%

1.03%

SPX summary for Presidential Year 1 1929 - 2009

Averages

0.09%

0.13%

0.08%

0.03%

-0.18%

0.15%

% Winners

52%

57%

71%

67%

57%

67%

MDD 2/2/2009 5.57% -- 2/1/1933 5.39% -- 2/1/1941 4.67%

SPX summary for all years 1928 - 2012

Averages

0.15%

0.07%

0.07%

0.26%

0.20%

0.74%

% Winners

52%

49%

60%

64%

64%

67%

MDD 2/2/2009 5.57% -- 2/1/1933 5.39% -- 1/30/1932 5.05%

Money supply (M2)

The money supply chart was provided by Gordon Harms. M2 growth has been falling
from its elevated trend.

February

Since 1963, over all years, the OTC in February has been up 54% of the time
with an average gain of 0.1%. During the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle
February has been up only 25% time with an average loss of 4.1% (helped considerably
by a 22.7% loss in 2001). The best February ever for the OTC was 2000 (+15.9%),
the worst 2001 (-22.7%).

The average month has 21 trading days. The chart below has been calculated
by averaging the daily percentage change for each of the 1st 11 trading days
and each of the last 10. In months when there were more than 21 trading days
some of the days in the middle were not counted. In months when there were
less than 21 trading days some of the days in the middle of the month were
counted twice. Dashed vertical lines have been drawn after the 1st trading
day and at 5 trading day intervals after that. The line is solid on the 11th
trading day, the dividing point.

In the chart below the blue line shows the average daily performance of the
OTC in February over all years since 1963 in blue, while the green line shows
the average during the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle over the same period.

Since 1928 the SPX has been up 53% of the time in February with an average
loss of -0.4%. During the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle the SPX has been
up 38% of the time with an average loss of -2.1%. The best February for the
SPX was 1931 (+11.0%) the worst 1933 (-15.1%).

The chart below is similar to the one above except it shows the average daily
average performance over all years since 1928 for the SPX in February in red
and the average daily performance during the 1st year of the Presidential
Cycle, over the same period, in green.

Since 1979 the Russell 2000 (R2K) has been up 56% of the time in February
with an average gain of 0.6%. During the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle
the R2K has been up 50% of the time with an average loss of -2.4%. The best
February for the R2K 2000 (+14.7%), the worst 2009 (-13.5%)

The chart below is similar to those above except it shows the average daily
performance of the R2K, over all years since 1979, in February in magenta
and the average daily performance during the 1st year of the Presidential
Cycle in green.

Since 1885 the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has been up 51% of the
time in February with an average loss of -0.3%. During the 1st year of the
Presidential Cycle the DJIA has been up 38% of the time in February with an
average loss of -1.2%. The best February for the DJIA 1931 (+12.4%), the worst
1933 (-13.0%)

The chart below is similar to those above except it shows the average daily
performance over all years for the DJIA in February in black and the average
performance during the 1st year of the Presidential Cycle in green.

Conclusion

The market is overbought, but the breadth indicators are strong and seasonality
remains positive.

I expect the major averages to be higher on Friday February 1 than they were
on Friday January 25.

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Mike Burk independently publishes a weekly newsletter on the stock market from a technical perspective.

Charts and figures presented
herein are believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to their accuracy.
Recent (last 10-15 yrs.) data has been supplied by CSI (csidata.com), FastTrack
(fasttrack.net), Quotes Plus (qp2.com) and the Wall Street Journal (wsj.com).
Historical data is from Barron's and ISI price books. The views expressed are
provided for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way
as investment advice. Furthermore, the opinions expressed may change without
notice.